Madame Curie

Madame Curie Review

By Christopher Null

Hey, I never thought the hunt for radium would make for an engrossing way to spend two hours, but Madame Curie reveals itself to be one of the most engaging biopics of its era. Reuniting the stars of Mrs. Miniver (as heralded on the poster), Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon make for perfect Marie and Pierre Curie, respectively. The film covers virtually their entire adult lives, from Marie's early interest in math and science to her "business only" marriage to Pierre, to their joint work searching for a mysterious radioactive substance in pitchblende ore, melting tons of material over many years and eventually coming up with a couple of grams of the stuff. While Pierre dies early (not from radiation poisoning, he was hit by a carriage), Marie would go on to win two Nobel Prizes. Her death (from radiation exposure) is off camera. Both Garson and Pidgeon are outstanding, and the film's treatment of science is both incredibly realistic and, shockingly, a lot of fun.